Administrative Core Project Summary / Abstract The Administrative Core (Core A) will continue to be directed by Bharat Ramratnam, M.D. Dr. Ramratnam assumed the role of PI of the COBRE Center for Cancer Research and Development in the end of 2011 upon the retirement of founding PI Douglas Hixson, Ph.D. The major goal of the Core is to provide administrative oversight to all activities of the Phase III COBRE. The following specific aims will be pursued: (Aim 1) To maintain an organizational structure that ensures effective communication between the supervisory, administrative and service oriented components of the COBRE. (Aim 2) To devise strategies to increase the use of the Proteomics and Molecular Pathology Cores during Phase III and assist users by providing designated bioinformatics expertise. (Aim 3) To provide an overview of the Administrative Core?s establishment of benchmarks for evaluating core performance on financial, scientific and managerial grounds. (Aim 4) To describe new policies/initiatives established by the Administrative Core regarding fee waiver or reduction through a Junior Investigator Support Award (JISP) that is limited to non-R01 funded faculty at the Assistant Professor level conducting cancer research.